[pct-l] tarptent vs. six moons designs

[Brett]

One thing to consider is whether you're okay with a 1.3oz sq/yd 
sil-nylon floor, which is very slippery unless you apply dots of seam 
sealer or employ some other grip-adding trick. TT appears to offer only 
1.3oz sil floors, while SMD offers a choice of 1.3oz and ~1.9oz sil, the 
latter of which is sufficiently un-slick to use without modification. 
Beyond that, the heavier sil-nylon is plenty durable enough to use 
without a ground sheet, even in the desert. Once you add the weight of a 
(basically, mandatory) ground sheet beneath the floor of a 1.3 TT, the 
weight is essentially the same as an SMD "heavy floor" without a sheet.

In my experience, the Lunar Solo blocks more wind than the Contrail, as 
the Contrail's side and rear panels stop shorter of the ground, at least 
when pitching in the usual "high rear-strut" position.

On the flip side, the Contrail can be pitched tauter for less effort, 
but be prepared to step outside to adjust pitch during a rainy night. 
More than 4 stakes are generally helpful to minimize sagging, which is 
sil-nylon's wet-weather achille's heal.

IMHO, HYOH,
- blisterfree

Mike Saenz wrote:
>
> I’ve had one of Ron’s Lunar Solos for three years now.
>
> I love it.
>
> But describing ANY UL tent as “bomber” is inaccurate. As with any 
> piece of gear that trades off durability for weight, you need to be 
> more careful where and how you pitch the Lunar.
>
> That said- In the three years I’ve had my Lunar, 90% of the time, I’ll 
> opt to us it instead of my TNF 3-season. And I have not yet had to 
> repair it once!
>
> I’ve never had, nor used a Tarptent product, so I can’t give an 
> opinion one way or the other. But when the time comes to replace my 
> Lunar, I’ll replace it with whatever Ron has cooked up that matches it.
>
> -cheers
>
> Oilcan
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *Michael Saenz*
> Associate Partner
>
>
> MVE Studio, Inc. | Architecture
> Irvine + Oakland + Honolulu
>
> 1900 Main Street, Suite 800 | Irvine, California 92614-7318 | T 
> 949.809.2700 | www.mve-studio.com <http://www.mve-studio.com/>
>
> <http://www.mve-studio.com/>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:* pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net 
> [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net] *On Behalf Of *David Stewart
> *Sent:* Wednesday, November 28, 2007 12:09 PM
> *To:* pct-l at backcountry.net
> *Subject:* [pct-l] tarptent vs. six moons designs
>
> Hello all,
>
> I am looking at the Tarptent Contrail and the Six moons designs Lunar 
> solo. contrail is 40 dollars cheaper and only uses 4 
> stakes...otherwise, these suckers are virtually identical (weight, 
> size, everything).
>
> it comes down to build quality.
>
> what is the general concensus on these 2 companies? whose construction 
> is more "bomber"? is all gear from six moons US made?
>
> i really appreciate the feedback.
>
> thanks again...
>
> -moondog
>
> mailgate1.mve-architects.com made the following annotations
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